India’s Rajasthan - Palace and Fort Stays

Head to the airport and board your overnight flight to Delhi.

Arrive in Delhi, meet your Tour Manager and transfer to the elegant, historic Maidens Hotel, haven of old-world elegance and modern comforts. Settle in, then join your Tour Manager for a guided tour of Old Delhi, which reveals some of the city's most iconic sights: the Red Fort, Jama Masjid Mosque and Raj Ghat - Gandhi's cremation site.

After the tour, immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of Indian street life on an exhilarating rickshaw ride through vibrant Chandni Chowk, one of the city's oldest markets, before heading back to the hotel for dinner.

Rise early this morning to board the Gatimaan Express, India's fastest train, to Agra, the glorious City of Love. Here you'll enjoy a guided tour of majestic Agra Fort, exploring its royal pavillions, palaces and pretty courtyards, and the Taj Mahal.

After an unforgettable few hours to explore this dazzling monument to undying love, which has become India's most potent symbol, you'll make the short journey to Dholpur and the Ras Niwas Palace, where you'll stay in beautifully appointed rooms in the grounds. Why not enjoy a sundowner overlooking the lawns before dinner?

Enjoy a lazy morning relaxing at your hotel. After lunch, board one of the Palace's boats for a cruise along the Chambal River on the look out for the colourful birdlife, crocodiles and rare, endangered long-snouted gharials that call the waterway home.

Later, round off the day with another splendid dinner at your hotel.

Today you'll travel across the Rajasthani plain to the pink city of Jaipur, where another beautiful heritage hotel is your home for the next two nights. Set in a former harveli - an Indian mansion - this beautiful hotel is a quiet oasis of calm close to the bustling old city. Enjoy a lazy evening settling into your surroundings, perhaps opting for a dip in the pool or a relaxing treatment at the spa, before dinner is served.

Discover the historic sights of Jaipur. Journey by jeep to towering Amber Fort, which perches on a hilltop and offers stupendous views from its red sandstone ramparts. After time to explore its Royal Halls, gardens, courtyards, you'll travel to the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds, to see the many windows and screened balconies of its famous red facade.

After lunch in the ornate surroundings of the Samode Haveli, a historic former home of the maharajas that has been converted into a luxurious hotel, you'll visit the City Palace complex to see its temple, museums, courtyards and gardens, and then continue to Jantar Mantar, the city's ancient astronomical observatory.

This evening, enjoy dinner in the hotel.

Cross Rajasthan's landscape dotted with historic palaces and havelis to Deogarh. In the afternoon you'll arrive at the Deogarh Mahal heritage hotel, a former home to Mewar rulers. After check-in, join a local guide for a thrilling jeep safari through the countryside, and a walk through a local village before returning to the hotel for dinner.

This morning's short journey takes you to Udaipur, the sublime City of Lakes, for a two-night stay overlooking Lake Pichola. Explore the "Venice of the East", with its exquisite marble lakeside palaces, and enjoy your hotel's surroundings before dinner.

See the sights of Udaipur this morning on a guided tour. Highlights include the majestic City Palace and the beautiful 'gardens of the royal ladies' at Sahelion-ki-Bari. This afternoon, explore under your own steam, then re-join your group for a leisurely evening cruise on Lake Pichola, and a dinner overlooking the stunning facade of City Palace.

Head north through the beautiful scenery of the Aravali Hills, pausing in Ranakpur to visit the astonishing Jain temples - a quartet of intricate, marble edifices that nestle in a wooded valley. In the late afternoon you'll arrive on the outskirts of Jodhpur for a two-night stay at another beautiful, lakeside heritage hotel. Rest and relax before dinner, which might be served under the stars.

Explore the extraordinary, desert-fringed "blue city" of Jodhpur – so called because of the blue colour-washed houses that decorate its old city. Explore its monumental Mehrangarh Fort, which towers over the city on its sandstone butte protecting a complex of ornate palaces and courtyards with a fascinating museum, and visit the marbled Jaswant Thanda memorial and the vast Umaid Bhawan palace museum. Later, take an evening jeep safari to a village inhabited by the Bishnoi, who follow a 15th-century religious creed that includes a variety of instructions to preserve the environment – earning them the title of the world's first eco-warriors.

Drive into the sands of the Great Indian Desert to the remote city of Bikaner, where ornate Junagarh Fort dominates the labyrinthine old city. Tour the Fort's pavilions and palaces, then enjoy a fascinating visit to a camel-breeding farm.

This evening, you'll travel further into the desert to a camp that sits among the towering sand dunes. Marvel at the dazzling sunset, take a camel-cart ride under the starlit sky and enjoy an unforgettable dinner.

Continue your journey through the desert, travelling along an ancient trading route into a region where small market towns are dwarfed by richly decorated havelis. You'll spend a night at the sumptuous Alsisar Mahal heritage hotel, which boasts decorated arcades, frescoes and tranquil courtyards. Settle in, then enjoy a glass of champagne while listening to a talk from a local historian, who will shed light on the story behind the area's opulent Shekhawati havelis.

On the last leg of this wonderful journey you'll travel back through Rajasthan's exotic landscape to the Aravali Hills, with an included lunch en route at the ornate Shahpura Haveli. You'll spend two nights at Vanaashrya Resort, which sits immersed in beautiful jungle scenery. Upon arrival, rest and relax, and settle into your comfortable, air-conditioned cottage.

Your wonderful holiday finishes with a relaxed day at Vanaashrya. Explore the ruins of Bhangarh Fort, which dates back to the 17th Century and is thought to be haunted, then take a camel-cart ride to a nearby village for a glimpse of local life. This evening, you'll be treated to a cookery demonstration, before your final dinner.

Make an early start (a packed breakfast will be provided) and journey back to Delhi airport to catch your flight home, arriving back in the UK this evening.